A knock on the door at the side of the room made her jump. She couldn’t help being a little afraid, and wondered if she should answer.
The knock came again and a man’s voice asked, “Are you awake, Hannah?”
He sounded familiar, but it wasn’t Tobias. She said nothing and the door opened. She relaxed when Jarrett MacMichael stuck his head in the door.
Again he asked, “Are you awake, Hannah?”
“Yes,” she said in an almost whisper. “I’m awake.”
“Good because I’m coming in there.” As soon as he was through the door, he said, “Good morning, Hannah.”
Surprised and happy to see him, she quickly pulled the covers up to her shoulders, only leaving her injured one outside the sheet. Without returning his greeting, she took a deep breath and asked, “Where am I, Mr. MacMichael?”
“I think I asked you to call me Jarrett.”
“Then, where am I, Jarrett?”
He stepped into the room and came to the side of her bed. “You’re in a room in the hotel where I’m staying.”
She frowned. “It’s a beautiful place, but why am I here?”
“I’ll explain later. How are you feeling?”
“Confused.” She turned her head and looked at him. “But good morning to you, too. Now, please tell me why I’m here.”
“It’s simple. I brought you.” He moved his head close to hers and looked into her eyes.
She leaned back a little. “Why are you looking at me so closely?”
“I want to make sure your eyes are clear.” She frowned at him and he smiled. “You have beautiful eyes, by the way, and they’re nice and clear.”
“Thank you,” she said, but she didn’t quit frowning.
“You’re welcome.” He backed up.
“Now, please explain to me what’s going on.”
“Minerva should be here shortly to help you get dressed, then we’ll go downstairs for breakfast.”
“Won’t Aunt Verbena be furious that I’m not in my room?”
“She’s furious already. She didn’t want me to bring you here, but she had no choice.”
“Why?”
“You sure do ask a lot of questions beginning with the word ‘why’ don’t you?” There was a knock on the door that led to the hallway and he opened it without saying anything else.
“Good morning, Mr. Jarrett.”
“Good morning, Minerva. I’m sure glad you’re here. She keeps asking questions even after I told her I’d explain everything later.”
“I’s help her get dressed then she can ask you her questions.”
“Did Tobias go to bring Lydia?”
“Yes, sir, he did. He’ll be along with her shortly.”
“Good.” He waved his hand toward Hannah. “See if you can get her dressed without her badgering you with her questions and I’ll wait in my room.”
“I’ll do that, Mr. Jarrett.”
Jarrett turned to Hannah, winked at her, and disappeared out the door he came through.
“Minerva, what in the world—”
“Don’t start asking me you questions, Miss Hannah. Mr. Jarrett said he’d ’splain it all to you, and I’m sure he will. It ain’t my place to do it. Now, let’s get you dressed.”
Hannah realized she had no control over the situation at the moment, so she decided to be quiet and put on her clothes. At least he promised to answer her questions later. She just hoped whatever was going on wasn’t going to make Aunt Verbena punish her too harshly when it was all over.
♥♥♥
Jarrett ran his fingers through his hair as soon as he closed the door between his room and Hannah’s. What in the world was the matter with him? Sure, he thought the woman was pretty. Well, maybe not just pretty, but beautiful. And yes, he enjoyed being with her, but why did his heart have to almost beat out of his chest when he looked into those deep blue eyes? Though he could admit, the eyes were special and could excite any man, but what about the mussed hair? The tangled mass of blonde tresses needed a brushing badly. It stuck up, not only on the top of her head, but it stuck out in the back as well. Why did he have the urge to reach out and smooth it down for her? It was a woman’s job to fix hair, not a man’s. Then why did the glimpse of her naked shoulder peeking out from the edge of her cotton gown where her damaged arm was on top of the covers give him a jolt? He’s seen women in nightgowns before–silk ones that revealed a lot of a woman’s body. Felicia often wore fancy gowns that were low cut and often split almost to her waist. She never wore the rough cotton kind that came up around a woman’s neck as it appeared Hannah’s did. Then why did the one Hannah have on affect him more than the fancy ones Felicia owned?
He had to stop this stuff. After all, Felicia Newell waited for him in Flagstaff. Or did she? What the hell did she matter anyway? He knew full well he had no intention of marrying Miss Newell, though he’d tossed around the idea of marriage eventually to somebody he had yet to meet. He shook his head and started to pour himself a whiskey from the decanter on the table.
“Man, what are you doing? It’s eight o’clock in the morning and you haven’t even had breakfast.” He sat the decanter down and moved to the window.
Looking down on the bustling street, he let his thoughts take him where they would. I’ve got to get out of this town and get back to Arizona where normal things happen. I can handle fist fights, gun battles, saloon women, wild horses, even marauding Indians, but what do I know about a woman who is devious enough to try to marry her niece off to a man who has the mentality of a child? And why did that beautiful woman who slept with only a wall separating us last night keep me awake most of the night? Why can’t I simply finish up this job, send her to her sister in Arizona, or leave her with the sister here in Savannah, pocket my money and go home and forget I ever met Hannah Hamilton and her aunt? He shook his head. I know why, damn it. It’s because I don’t want to forget Hannah, that’s why. I might as well admit it. That girl has done something to my heart that no other woman has ever done. Certainly not Felicia Newell.
♥♥♥
A knock sounded on the door to Hannah’s room.
“Come in.”
Minerva wheeled Hannah through the door. Her hair was combed and was tied back with a blue ribbon. It looked pretty, but Jarrett still liked the way it looked when he first saw her this morning, and the way he wished he could see her every morning. At this moment, she no longer wore the cotton gown, but was dressed in the blue flowered dress he’d seen her in several times. It’s time to get her more clothes, he thought.
“Are you ready to tell me what’s going on, now Mr…I mean Jarrett?”
“I was hoping to tell you and your sister at the same time. Tobias has gone for her.”
She looked almost scared. “Then, I guess I’ll have to wait.”
He made a quick decision. “You’re not going to have to wait much longer.” Turning to Minerva, he said, “Take her back to her room and clean off the table at her window. I’m going downstairs to order breakfast for us. Would you like something?”
Minerva looked at him as if he’d said something she didn’t understand. “You means you would get me something?”
“Sure, I would.”
She bit her lip and smiled. “I done eat some breakfast, but a cup of coffee would be nice.”
“Coming up. I’ll get Tobias one in case he gets back while we’re eating.” He looked at Hannah. “What would you like this morning?”
“Whatever you’re having will be fine.”
He nodded. “I’ll be back shortly.”
♥♥♥
Verbena went into her kitchen and looked around. There was no coffee brewing on the stove. There was no breakfast cooking. The stove wasn’t even hot. For some reason, she thought Tobias and Minerva would change their minds and be at their respective jobs this morning, but she’d been wrong. She decided to check their room, but found their few personal items and their clothes all gone. There was nothing else missin
g.
“Damn Jarrett MacMichael,” she whispered. Though she wasn’t a woman who cursed often, she felt justified this morning.
Moving back into the kitchen and going to the cabinet, she took a glass and intended to fill it with milk. She then realized there was no milk, because Minerva hadn’t left the jug outside for the boy who brought it daily. She filled the glass with water and took a slice of the bread Minerva had made the day before. Maybe she’d been too hasty in firing her servants. She should have waited until she’d hired replacements for them. Finding someone else might not be easy.
Spreading some of the strawberry jam that Minerva had made last spring on her bread, she ate it quickly and drank her water. She decided she’d hurry to the market and pick up some things already prepared so she wouldn’t be caught like this again. There were always good breads, pies and cakes as well as all kinds of fresh vegetables.
It then dawned on her that Tobias wasn’t here to hitch up her buggy. There was no way she could walk to the market. That would be unseemly for a woman of her standing, anyway. Only the servants of the rich were shopping there this time of morning. No. She’d have to make do with what she found in the kitchen, and if need be, she’d build a fire in the cook stove. After all, she’d done it when she was younger. Surely, she hadn’t forgotten how.
Once again, she said out loud, “Damn Jarrett MacMichael and Minerva and Tobias and Hannah and especially Burl Hamilton. I’ll see to it that they all pay for what they’ve done to me.”
♥♥♥
Standing beside the table in Hannah’s room, Jarrett watched as she stared at the food the waiter put out for the two of them. There were eggs, ham, bacon, potatoes, biscuits, jellies, some type of sweet breads, an assortment of little cakes and a pot of tea, as well as a big urn of coffee.
Jarrett’s heart seemed to do a little dance in his chest when she glanced at him with a twinkle in her eyes. She didn’t say anything until he closed the door behind the waiter, then she laughed as she asked, “Do you really expect the two of us to eat this much?”
“Of course.” He took the chair across the table from her. She looked so much like a child on Christmas morning that he had to smile. “I’m hungry, and I wanted to make sure you had something you liked to eat, but first, I’m going to pour Minerva a cup of coffee and let her go sit in my room and enjoy it while we talk. I’ll also send one for Tobias.”
“Thank you, Mr. Jarrett.” Minerva took the coffee and turned to Hannah. “Now child, you relax and Mr. Jarrett is gonna ’splain everything to you.”
“I’m not sure…”
“Now, Miss Hannah, has Minerva ever steered you wrong?”
“No, Minerva, you haven’t.”
“Good.” She turned and went through the adjoining door to Jarrett’s room and closed it behind her.
“Now, start filling your plate, and we’ll talk.” Jarrett passed her the eggs.
“There’s so much to choose from here.”
“As I said, I want you to have something you like.”
“I’m not hard to please, Jarrett. I’m used to eating whatever Aunt Verbena sends up to my room.”
“But you must have your favorite dishes.”
“There are some I like better than others, but as long as it’s filling, I don’t think I should complain about what I eat.”
“Then it’s time you had some of your favorite things.”
“Don’t spoil me, Jarrett. Whenever I go back to Aunt Verbena’s house, I’ll probably have to pay for being here with you now.”
He reached over and took her hand. “You’re never going back to Verbena’s house, Hannah.”
She stared at him. “How can I not?”
“I’ll tell you as soon as you fill your plate and start eating. Would you prefer coffee or tea?”
“I’ll take coffee first, then I’ll have tea, if it’s alright.” She put a few eggs on her plate and added a slice of ham, then picked up a biscuit.
“It’s fine.” He filled her cup and handed her the sugar. “I’ve seen you put sugar in your tea. Do you want it in your coffee?”
“Yes, please.”
He knew as soon their plates were filled, he had to start telling her what had happened. He just wasn’t sure where to begin. He didn’t want to upset her. He decided not to tell her who he was yet. Instead, he started with the fact that Verbena had given her too much laudanum.
Hannah was shocked. “I know she doesn’t like me much, but I can’t believe she’d do that.”
“Well, she did. When the doctor came to check you last night, he was firm with her about what she’d done. She tried to pass it off like she’d got confused about how to administer it to you.”
“Maybe she did.”
“No, Hannah, she didn’t. She had her own sinister reason to keep you in a drugged state. I’ll get to that in a minute.” He took a bite of ham.
“What reason could she possibly have?”
“We’ll get to that. You need to start eating before it gets cold.”
She sampled her meal and glanced at him. “This is delicious.”
He noticed how her eyes glowed with pleasure, and he wanted to reach out and touch her cheek, but he didn’t dare. He looked down at his plate. “I’m glad you like it.”
“I do, very much. Now, please go on with your story.”
He was still having trouble deciding what to tell her and what to keep to himself for a while. Finally, he said, “I’m sure you remember Calvin Sawyer and his sister.”
“They’re friends of Aunt Verbena.”
“Yes, and the sister and Verbena had cooked up a scheme to marry Calvin off. I have no earthly reason why.”
“I only met them once, but it didn’t seem to me Calvin Sawyer had the mental capacity to become a husband.”
“That’s true, but according to what I’ve been told, the sister’s fellow wouldn’t marry her unless Calvin was out of the house. She must have decided to have him marry some unsuspecting girl whose guardian would let him live in their house with the bride after the wedding. That way, the sister would be rid of him and could pursue her own goals for her life.”
“That’s a cruel thing to do.”
“I agree. It would take an evil person to do that.” He chose his next words as carefully as he could. “A person like your Aunt Verbena.”
“Oh, Jarrett, Aunt Verbena wouldn’t…”
“She did, Hannah. She drugged you and was setting you up to marry Calvin. If I hadn’t gotten there when I did…”
She dropped her fork and it clattered on the table. “Oh, no.” Tears began to slide down her cheeks. “Please tell me that’s not so.”
He stood and rushed to her. Kneeling beside her chair, he wrapped his arm around her and whispered, “Don’t cry, sweetheart. You’re safe here with me.” As soon as he said the words, he knew she was safe, not only now, but for the rest of her life. He was always going to be there to take care of Hannah, no matter what.
Chapter 20
Lydia was confused when Tobias showed up and told her Jarrett MacMichael wanted her to come to the hotel to meet with him. It wasn’t that she minded talking with the man, but she was sure Bradly had been a little jealous when he’d come home and found them together. Of course, this would have to be the one day her husband had to go up to Tybee Island on business. Would he get back before she finished her meeting with Jarrett?
Then, Tobias told her the meeting was concerning Hannah, and she knew it must be important. If he did return and find out she was there, Bradly would have to understand. It wasn’t that Lydia was hiding things from her husband. It was just that he’d acted a little strange and stand-offish since his return. As for this meeting with Jarrett, she planned to tell him all about it later. She just wanted to be sure he was in a good mood when she did.
The desk clerk eyed them as they went up the stairs to Jarrett’s room. When they reached the top, she said, “I thought they were going to stop us, Tobias.”
Tobias shook his head. “Mr. Jarrett told them they better not stop me or Minerva whenever we went up the steps to his room. I guess they’s afraid Mr. Jarrett will get mad if ’n they say anything to us, or to anybody with us.”
“Jarrett does demand respect, doesn’t he?”
“Yes, Miz Lydia. He shore does. He’s a good man.” Tobias knocked.
Minerva opened the door. “I’s glad you back. Hello, Miz Lydia.”
“Minerva, what in the world are you doing here?”
“I’s work for Mr. Jarrett now, Miz Lydia.”
Lydia was startled. “You what?”
“She’s right, Miz Lydia,” Tobias said. “We’s both works for Mr. Jarrett now.”
“Come on in. Mr. Jarrett is in Miss Hannah’s room.” Minerva stood aside.
“Hannah’s room? What’s going on here?”
Neither of them answered her, but Minerva showed her through the open door between the rooms.
She took one look at her sister and went running toward the small couch where she sat with Jarrett. “My goodness, Hannah. What happened to your arm?”
“I fell out of my chair.” Hannah reached up with her good arm and hugged her sister. “I’m so glad you’re here. Jarrett has told me part of what happened and he promised to tell me what got me to this point, but he said he wanted to tell the rest to you and me together.”
Lydia took one of the chairs facing the two of them. “Well, I’m stunned to find you here. How did you talk Aunt Verbena into letting you out of the house?”
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